50% of all votes in the election (15million) went to losing
candidates, while 74% of votes (22million) were 'wasted' - i.e. they didn't
contribute to electing the winning MP. At the same time, 331 of our 650 MPs
were elected on under 50% of the vote, and 191 with less than 30% of the electorate.
An estimated 2.8million people voted 'tactically' this election for candidates
they didn't fully support - nearly a tenth of all voters. Much of this 'lesser
evil' approach comes from the fact that in some constituencies there are only
one or two candidates who realistically stand a chance of winning. Many of
these are 'safe seats'. The ERS was able to call the winner correctly in 363 of
368 seats - a month before polling day - due to the prevalence of these under
First Past the Post. Now, we're no Mystic Megs - we just know the system is
bust. The problem goes deeper than these statistics, though. First Past the
Post is artificially exaggerating divides in the UK - giving the SNP nearly all
Scottish seats on half of Scottish votes, while virtually excluding Labour from
the South of England. Equally, Labour are over-represented in Wales, while the
Conservatives are under-represented in the North of England and Scotland. It's
a mess. The situation is just as bad in Northern Ireland. Cross-community parties
there got a tenth of the vote on 7 May - but no seats. Yet the Democratic
Unionist Party (DUP) received nearly half the seats on just a quarter of the
vote.